On the Way Home: Sugarcane

As I'm wont to opine, some of my absolute best experiences on foreign trips, both by myself and especially when leading students, have been spontaneous. I like plans, but am always ready to ditch them at the drop of a hat if a cool opportunity arises. On last March's trip to India we were killing time on a long bus ride to Dudhwa, the one that spawned the trip to the roadside restaurant that the students loved so much. One of the other unplanned events on the trip was the decision by our guide and friend Santosh to stop by the side of the road and cut some sugarcane, which he then showed the students how to manipulate to get the juice (essentially you just peel away the stalky part and crush the inside). They ended up having a crazy fun time, and now I think it has passed into the planned side of the itinerary.